How the Stefon Diggs trade could impact Bears’ draft plans

There was a blockbuster trade on Wednesday as the Houston Texans acquired former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs for an exchange of draft picks.

Diggs became a star, oddly enough, with the Minnesota Vikings before making his way to the Bills. In Buffalo, he had a lot of success, but they were never able to get over the hump and it always felt like something was off with his happiness there. Now, he will go to Houston, a team on the rise.

This move puts the Bills in a situation where they need to add a receiver for Josh Allen in the 2024 NFL draft. This is a team that should be competing for an AFC championship, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump yet. It will be harder now without Diggs, unless they find a good way to replace him in the huddle.

Assuming Buffalo don’t trade up into the top 10, their 28th overall pick won’t be good enough to take one of the big three in Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers. They may even be out of range for guys like Brian Thomas Jr. or Adonai Mitchell at No. 28, but they could fall.

So how does this impact the Chicago Bears?

If Chicago passes on a receiver in the first round, there could be one fewer good one available to them later in the draft if the Bills opt to select one to replace Diggs. This is something that could impact all of the teams in the league looking to add a receiver.

Could Buffalo also be willing to make a huge swing to trade up to a position to land one of the top three wideouts or Thomas? It’s definitely a storyline worth monitoring as the draft approaches.